Atlantic City’s Perez to meet hot prospect Brant for WBA/NABA Title

Richard Quiñones (Journeymen Boxing) Atlantic City’s DeCarlo Perez looks to follow up the most impressive win of his career, with a title when he meets undefeated prospect Rob Brant in a slated 10-round co-main event for the WBA/NABA middleweight title January 22nd, at the Casino De Sol in Tucson, Arizona.

Perez (15-3-1, 5ko’s), a native of Egg Harbor, scored a brilliant win his last time out, as he outworked formerly unbeaten Juan Ubaldo Cabrera to earn a 10-round unanimous decision at The D Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada as part of Showtime’s Shobox last August.

The 24-year-old Perez took the fight on just one week’s notice after Cabrera’s original opponent Mike Gavronski (18-1-1, 12ko’s) was forced to pull out of the fight after injuring his hand in a bout back on August 15th, per several reports.

Perez, though, took advantage of his opportunity by dominating the second half of the fight by using a gorgeous mix of body sots and power shots, which took a toll of the 36-year-old Cabrera, en route to the win.

Now Perez sets his sights on the very active Brant (18-0, 11ko’s), who has racked up 18 straight wins to start his career since turning pro in 2012.

The 25-year-old, Saint Paul, Minnesota native, is coming off tough bout against Louis Rose in October. In that contest, Brant was able to edge Rose, and earn a razor thin majority decision and in the process capture the vacant WBC Continental Americas middleweight title, which was a belt held by Daniel Jacobs, and Tureano Johnson in the past.

Perez will be looking to win his fifth straight since suffering an eight-round split-decision loss against Wilky Campfort in early January 2014, while handing Brant, who relies heavily on his jab, his first career setback.

Dennis appeared on ESPN’s 2015 Boxcino Tournament and fought in the final, before being dropped three times against Andrey Fedosov as the bout was halted in the eighth-round. The 28-year-native of Davenport, Iowa, has lost two of five — both coming by way of TKO.